In August, the spokesperson of the Force, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa released a statement which said “intelligence report available to the Joint Task Force Operation RESTORE ORDER revealed that Abubakar Shekau, the most dreaded and wanted Boko Haram Terrorists leader may have died”.
He added that Shekau “died of gunshot wound received in an encounter with the JTF troops in one of their camps at Sambisa Forest on 30 June 2013. Shekau was mortally wounded in the encounter and was sneaked into Amitchide – a border community in Cameroun for treatment which he never recovered. It is greatly believed that Shekau might have died between 25 July to 3 August, 2013”.
However, in a tweet sent via their official twitter handle (@BBCHausa) the news agency claimed “the leader of jama’atu ahlussunnah lidd’awati wal jihad also known as Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, has released a new video, where he has declared that he is alive”.